The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Night
by Toadflame
Summary: Sometimes, bad luck just can't be avoided.


**FINALLY THIS IS DONE! I hope you like it, **Grim Lullaby!** I've been putting this off for two days trying to figure out just how to fulfill a fortune cookie, and one of my teachers really gave me a good perspective on a fleeting idea I'd had.**

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Let me tell you folks a little something. You NEVER underestimate the power that a fortune cookie can hold. Yes, a good majority have just the 'good luck' platitudes and don't really mean anything at all. You'd have to stand on your head and cross your eyes while looking at it in a mirror to see some resemblance of how it fits into your life. But then, there are others that have more to them. A notable example is when they either start out saying you will have bad luck or touch upon that you are having a bad luck streak. Never underestimate a fortune cookie.

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_An unlucky streak will be broken with the arrival of an old friend._

Oliver Queen smirked as he read the fortune. _An old friend…I wonder who,_ he thought, before snorting at himself for the thought. _Fortunes aren't real._

Ollie stepped out of the Chinese restaurant, a favorite of his and Roy's when they were…what? A mentor and the mentored? Partners? Could they even have been _considered_ partners? Had Ollie treated him like a simple _sidekick?_

Lost in his musings, Ollie didn't see the car that splashed through a conveniently placed puddle, one which just so happened to be next to the curb that Ollie just so happened to be standing near. The wave of water, in an almost perfect comical fashion, splashed onto the sidewalk, soaking him to the knees.

"Jesus!" Ollie swore, feeling the water go easily through the thin material and begin to drip down his legs.

OK, no big deal. He'd just…swing through the shower before patrol. Yeah.

* * *

Two hours later after what _should've_ been a half-hour drive, hindered by a blown tire and an accident that happened _right in front of him_. At least he hadn't been IN the accident, but he'd had to stay there for half an hour until the first responders had declared him fit to go, then spend another ten minutes explaining what happened to the Star City police.

So bad luck came in threes. That meant he was done, right?

* * *

After a ripped pair of tights, spilt coffee, and lost keys to the Arrowcar were added to his roster for bad luck-_all in one night!_-Ollie admitted defeat. In jeans and his Green Arrow shirt, he walked into the kitchen.

Thankfully, all of the staff had left for the day, leaving him pretty much alone in the house except for the fish swimming in his dining room fish tank. Ollie wandered over to the refrigerator and, not taking _any_ chances with trying to cut fruit, pulled out a diced fruit cup. He grabbed a fork from the drawer, retreating with his fruit up the flight of stairs to his bedroom.

Ollie walked out onto the balcony, popping a piece of pineapple into his mouth. It would've been a great night to go out and bust whatever baddies happened to be out and about. The moon was full, throwing a lot of light even into the already-brightly lit city. Speaking of light…

The artificial light from his garage-he'd left the lights on again-spilled onto the sidewalk, lighting up a figure walking quickly and studiously past. The teen's head was down, but the light glinted on red hair, and Ollie knew who it was immediately. Roy.

What was the teen doing here? Last Ollie had heard, the boy was wandering from city to city, using his Red Arrow persona whenever he felt the urge or the need, and hadn't been to Star City since he'd stopped being Speedy. Ollie watched him go with a frown, but noticed something out of the corner of his eye.

It was a fortune cookie sitting on the small table he kept out here if he wanted breakfast outside.

Smirking, the man picked it up, cracking open the fortune to read it.

_Your bad luck will come to an end before long. And, for what it's worth, I'm sorry._

Ollie couldn't help it. He started laughing. Trust his former partner to pull something like that.

* * *

Roy hoped that his cookie would be enough to apologize to the man for pretty much stalking him through his evening. He was going to ask Green Arrow to join him on patrol, just for old times' sake, but when it appeared Ollie wasn't going out tonight, he had grabbed the cookie-he'd been at the restaurant too, so sue him-and swiped it on a whim.

The fortune, hopefully, had made his former mentor smile a little.

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**I'm sorry! I couldn't resist throwing Speedy in there! I just love ****the dynamic between the heroes and their sidekicks-I'm sorry, the mentors and the mentored-and Roy/Ollie's been a favorite of mine since forever. I hope that wasn't a big issue for you, **Grim Lullaby!

**This was written for the YJCF again, The Official Cookbook For Happy Couples, Relationships, and Awkward Situations challenge. My prompt:**

Take a lonely Oliver Queen and place him carefully in a bad night. Drench in bad luck and let set a few hours until defeat sets in. Add lots of diced fruit and serve next to a fortune cookie.

**Thanks for reading if you've made it this far!**


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